Political intrigue again hits largest federal union, as a unitís officers are removed

Subject: Political intrigue again hits largest federal union, as a unitís officers are removed Tue Oct 10, 2017 5:45 am

Thereís more political intrigue in the largest federal employee union.

American Federation of Government Employees President J. David Cox Sr. has dismissed the elected officials of the unionís Labor Department unit over allegations of improper expenditures and failure to honor the votes of members.In a memo last week to members of Local 12, Cox said he placed the unit in trusteeship because ďit is essential that proper financial controls and democratic principles be restored.Ē He said the Local 12 officials ďfailed to abide by a vote of the Local membership, conducted in September 2016, regarding the establishment of†an audit committee and the hiring of an outside vendor for conducting an audit.ĒThe improper expenditures involved an $18,000 Hyatt Regency bill. Local 12 is one of the larger AFGE locals in the Washington area.The leaders of the now-deposed unit said the move by Cox ďfailed to follow proper proceduresĒ and was a political ploy to remove a potential challenger, Alex Bastani, who was Local 12 president.